Marianna, Fla. – Jackson Hospital’s ceremonial groundbreaking for two new care facilities – Chipola Quick Care and Chipola Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine – was held on Wednesday, June 22, 2016. The facilities will provide the Jackson County region access to new medical services on property donated to the hospital by Fred Campaign in 2011.

The ceremony brought together members of the community, including local dignitaries, business owners, elected officials, hospital staff and volunteers and members of the project team to celebrate the milestone. The project is being developed by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. (GMC), project architect; DeAngelis Diamond Healthcare Group, general contractor; and David H. Melvin Consulting Engineers.

Margaret Watkins, MSN, RN, will serve as the director of both facilities.

“Today was so inspiring for me; it is just so exciting that we are moving forward with something that will help the community,” Watkins said. “We are building this beautiful new center with great hope of providing better care to our community.”

According to Watkins, some 4,100 patients with chronic wounds and ulcers have been identified within a 30-mile radius of Marianna. The new facility could make regular treatments more convenient for those who may currently be traveling to Panama City, Chipley or Dothan to seek comparable care. General Surgeon Dr. Teresa Goodpaster will serve as medical director for the Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine Center.

The $3.5 million project will encompass more than 8,000 square feet and will initially supply 16 new jobs to the area. Both the Wound Healing & Quick Care Centers will be located in a single building with separate entrances for each. The Wound Healing Center will have four specialized exam rooms for healing wounds and two hyperbaric chambers. The Quick Care Center will be equipped with seven exam rooms, an x-ray facility and basic specimen laboratory.

With June’s designation as Wound Healing Awareness Month, the groundbreaking held even greater significance. The American Board of Wound Management estimates there are 6.7 million people currently suffering from non-healing wounds. Most often, healing is complicated and slowed by underlying conditions such as diabetes, venous or arterial problems, unrelieved pressure, radiation tissue damage, and infection.

The event concluded with the official turning of the soil by Goodpaster and Watkins, along with representatives from the Board of Trustees, hospital staff and administration and the project team, including: Board of Trustees Chairman Ron Duell and Building and Grounds Chairman Byron Ward; Dr. Joe Gay; Dr. Angelo Consiglio; Hospital CFO Kevin Rovito; GMC Healthcare Vice President Steve Alby and Lead Project Architect Topper Parham; and Consulting Engineer David Melvin.